Vibratory finishing



SR LMUQC; XR 3,220,147

Nov. 30, 1965 R. w. MOORE 3,220,147

VIBRATORY FINISHING 2 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Feb. 13, 1964 INVENT OR -Ralph WMbm' Nov. 30, 1965 R. w. MOORE VIBRATORY FINISHING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 15, 1964 INVENTOR fiagflt more l t i United States Patent 0 This application is a divisional application of copending application Serial No. 344,763, filed February 13, 1964, now US. Patent No. 3,163,967 granted January 5, 1965; which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 168,146, filed January 23, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,163,966 granted January 5, 1965; which in turn is also a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 4,908, filed January 27, 1960, now US. Patent No. 3,063,- 207 granted November 13, 1962. This application is also a continuation-in-part of the aforementioned copending application Serial No. 168,146, filed January 23, 1962, now U.S. Patent No. 3,163,966 granted January 5, 1965.

This invention relates to vibratory finishing, more particularly the type of vibratory or gyratory finishing suit able for treatment of work pieces of metal or the like for the purpose of deburring, descaling, cleaning, polishing, burnishing, rounding corners and edges, etc.

The use of vibration or gyration for the above purpose has been known for some time. However, machines built for these purposes have been relatively complicated and cumbersome as well as somewhat awkward to use when adapted for variable loading.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of novel equipment and techniques for the above type of finishing that simplifies the handling of widely varying loads and reduces the cost of such treatment.

The above as well as additional objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of several of its exemplifications, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view partially in section of an apparatus representative of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view partially in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detail, on an enlarged scale and partially in section of a further support arrangement for a vibratory apparatus.

According to the present invention the vibratory finishing apparatus has a work container resiliently supported on a framework and connected for gyratory movement. A bar is secured to the container and extends into an oversized aperture means held by the framework to indicate the location of the container with respect to the framework and to give an audible indication of misadjustment.

In an advantageous form of this invention, a drive mechanism is secured to the framework in a fixed position and a generally horizontally extending flexible drive coupling connects the drive mechanism to the container for gyrating it.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a vibratory treatment apparatus having a generally troughshaped container 500 held on a table 520 as by means of bolts 14 through the table top sheet 522. Feet 550 secured as by welding to the underside of the container provide convenient flat surfaces at their lower portions for engagement against the table top 522. The table is vibrated by means of a shaft 18 having an egceiLtri v eigh 521 secured thereto and journalled between bearings 524 and 526 rigidly attached to the table as by means of the plates 533 and 534 welded to the underside of the table.

3,220,147 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 Skirts 531 and 532 depending from the side edge of the table and also fastened to the table by welding, help to greatly increase the rigidity of the connection to the vibrating drive. The eccentric weight can be replaceably attached to shaft 18 as by bolts so that different weights can be used for modifying the magnitude of vibration.

The air cushion support is shown as provided by upper and lower flanges 518 and 544 secured against the inner surfaces of the sheets 504 and carrying horizontally extending shelves 514 that are received between the flanges of suporting sheets 504 that encircle the table. Sheet 522 of the table is joined to the flange 518 below it by an air cushion 42, and is also similarly joined by an air cushion 40 to the flange above it.

FIGS. 1 and 2 employ a tilt framework 538 made of a pair of traverse channel beams secured to and connected by side sheets 504. These side sheets have flanged longitudinal edges for added stiffness and are also bent inwardly near their lower portion to further increase their rigidity and protect the interior somewhat against splashing from the floor. The outer faces of the beams 502 are covered by end panels 506 which extend over the entire space between the end sheets and also rise to a height well above them. The margins of the end panels are also flanged for strength. A similar intermediate panel 508 is secured between the side sheets and is reinforced as by Welded-on angles 510 and a bar 512 to support the driving motor 68 and jackshaft 74.

To each side sheebis secured a pair of shelves 514 on which are mounted the lower air cushion supports for the work container. The shelves extend short distances longitudinally of the apparatus and then terminate in vertically disposed flanges 516, 518. The flanges 516 at the outer ends of the shelves extend upwardly While the flanges 518 at the adjacent ends of the shelves extend downwardly. All flanges as well as the bodies of the shelves are welded to the side sheets 504.

Upon the lower air cushions the work table 520 rests. The top of the table is a flat sheet 522 and it is rigidified by a grid of reinforcing plates 531, 532, 533 and 534 welded to its lower surface. Plates 533, 534 extend transversely and have central passageways in which are received the bearings 524, 526 of the vibrator shaft. Around these passageways strengthening rings 528 can be secured. The bearings are preferably encased as shown with leak-tight covers sealed against the vibrator shaft with Wiper-type seals as at 540. The bearings are also supplied with lubricant as by a conduit connected to a convenient reservoir which can be observed readily to make sure a lubricant supply is available and also that lubricant is being consumed. A check of the bearing temperatures is also desirable and this can be provided by a thermocouple also connected to a convenient measurement location.

The jackshaft 74 is secured by bearings 542 fastened to the underside of a channel-shaped mounting plate 544 welded to the intermediate panel 508 and projecting through a suitable passageway in that panel. Where upper air cushion supports are used for the table they can be appreciably smaller than the lower air cushion and can be secured to the top of the table olfset from the lower cushions in a longitudinal direction such that the upper cushions are closer to each other than the lower cushions, as shown in FIG. 1. Removable brackets 545 can be bolted to the side sheets 504 to hold down the upper cushions and permit them to be readily removed, as for example when the table 520 is to be replaced. For shipping purposes bolts 546 can be fitted through holes in the air cushion shelves 514 and threaded into the table, with spacers slipped between the shelves and the table to clamp the table against movement. Two such bolt clamps on diagonal corners of the table are adequate for this purpose.

The work container of FIGS. 1 and 2 has strengthening ribs 548 welded to its external side surfaces and also has its feet 550 strengthened by gusset plates 552 Welded over the open ends of the feet, preferably in the plane of the ribs 548. A further set of aligning bosses 553 can be formed along the longitudinal center of the container bottom, and they can be provided with aligning pin openings that match up with aligning openings in the table top.

The framework can merely be a generally rectangular combination of channels carrying a pair of opposed reinforced sheets to which flanges are welded, which may in turn be pivotally held by stub shafts 5t) projected from opposite ends of the framework. Journals 52 carried by piers 54 receive the stub shafts and permit the entire framework, including the table and container, to pivot as for the purpose of unloading work articles from the container. The piers 54 can be directly secured to a floor such as a rigid concrete slab, and can also be tied together by a brace 523, in the form of a tube. Either or both of the piers can also be used as an anchoring for a tilting mechanism which in the illustrated embodiment is a pneumatic cylinder 58 pivoted directly at its lower end to a bracket 60 held by the piers, and having a movable piston rod 62 connected to jackshaft 50 by a bell crank 64 which can be secured to a collar 66 keyed to the shaft. This tilting can also be hydraulically, mechanically or electrically actuated, if desired.

It is helpful not to rely on the air cushions holding the work container when it is tilted to unloading position. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting clips 554 are afiixed to the side sheets and each has two arms holding a resilient tube 556 so that it is only slightly spaced from the side of the work container and does not interfere with its gyration. Pins 558 extending through the arms support the tubes 556, and the tubes can be made of rubber, either natural or synthetic, as well as of resilient plastic such as nylon. Two such tubes will adequately support the work container when the tilt frame is tilted. The air cushions permit the tilted container to lean against the supporting tubes without unduly stressing the cushions. At the same time the supporting tubes do not interfere with the simple lifting out of the work container when it is to be replaced.

In order to protect the apparatus against spillage around the top of the container, a cover 560 is fitted over the entire top of the tilt frame. The cover has a cut-out opening 562 through which the work container projects and this opening is shown as smaller than the area covered by the lip of the work container so that the lip overhangs the cover around its entire periphery. Turned-up flange 563 around the entire opening further assures that anything dropping on the cover will not be in a position to run into the interior of the tilt frame. Turned-down margins 564, 566, 568, 570 on the cover fit over the corresponding margins of the tilt frame and the cover can be conveniently secured in a readily removable fashion as by means of a hook 572 pivoted to panel 506 at 574 and provided with an operating handle 576. With this arrangement the entire equipment can be hosed down very conveniently and thereby kept very clean.

The cover can also be used as a height indicator for the work container. Adjustable pointer 580 can be secured to cover flange 563 for this purpose and can cooperate with a scale 582 fixed to the adjacent side of the work container. For the longest life of the flexible coupling between the jackshaft and the vibrating shaft, these should be aligned as closely as possible and variations in loading of the work container as well as pressure in the cushion supports, will change the vertical position of the vibrating shaft. The indicator will serve as a convenient guide for the purpose of adjusting the height of that shaft so as to match the position of the jackshaft. The adjustment can also be m de tomatic as by having a combination cushion inflating valve and cushion deflating valve connected to respond to vertical movement between the work container or table, and the cover or other convenient portion of the tilt frame. The height-sensing device can merely be a pair of electrical switches positioned one above and one below the margin of the table in such a manner that upward movement of the table closes the upper switch and downward movement of the table closes the lower switch. The switches can in turn be connected to operate the valves so that upward movement of the table will cause the lower cushions to deflate and downward movement of the table will cause them to inflate. Alternatively the height control can be applied to the upper cushions or to both the upper and lower cushions.

A feature of the construction of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the flat top character of its vibrating table. With such an arrangement the work container can be removed and replaced by any other type of equipment that is desired to be vibrated. Also a perfectly flat top is a simple matter to machine with high accuracy so that one container can be replaced by another without any special fitting required.

The apparatus of FIG. 1 has a vibration frequency measuring device shown as a tachometer generator 573 held on a shelf 571 mounted against the inner surface of panel 506. This generator has a shaft connected as by a simple coupling such as a short length of rubber or resilient plastic tubing 575, to a stub shaft extending from the jackshaft pulley. A conductor cable supplies the output of the tachometer generator to a conveniently located meter on which the output is read on an indicator scale. Other systems can also be used for measuring the rotational speed of the vibrating shaft or can even measure the vibration with a series of reeds mounted for free vibration with the individual reeds having natural periods of vibration adjusted to be at graded intervals over the desired operating range. The reed that shows the strongest vibration when the assembly of reeds is mounted anywhere on the apparatus, indicates the frequency at which the apparatus is operating.

The equipment can also be provided with a safeguard against difiiculties that could result from an attempt to operate the vibrating drive when the container is tilted toward unloading position. For this purpose FIG. 1 shows a block 577 secured to the outer face of panel 506 and a cooperating switch 579 on the adjacent supporting pier. These two components are so located that when the container is upright in its operating position the block trips the switch 579 closed, thereby establishing an electrical circuit used in energizing the vibrating drive. In all other positions of the container the block is disengaged from the switch so that vibration cannot be carried out.

Driving of shaft 18 to cause gyration of the container can be effected as by means of an electric motor carried by the table, the framework, or any other convenient manner. One highly effective arrangement which reduces the number of components as well as the total mass of the vibratory members is to mount such a motor on the tiling framework. In FIG. 1 such a motor is shown at 68 carried by a panel 508 depending from the framework alongside the table 520. A drive connection such as a variable ratio pulley combination such as shown in FIG. 10 connects the motor with a jackshaft 74 journalled in bearings 542 held on a shelf 544. The jackshaft is in turn coupled to the vibrating shaft 18 by means of a flexible drive coupling 82 as shown having an annularly positioned flexible trough-shaped member 84 clamped between drive discs, keyed to shafts 74 and 18.

FIG. 3 also includes an amplitude-limiting arrangement for the container and table. A bar 530D fastened to the table or container is arranged to project out through an aperture 532D in an angled member 532D secured to the framework 531 or in a reinforced section thereof. The aperture 532D can provide a space all around the bar sufiicient to permit the bar to vibrate with the table through the usual range of vibratory amplitudes. Generally a /2 inch clearance is sufficient. This will also minimize the possibility of damage to the air cushions in the event the pressure within them is suddenly released, for example should there be failure of the air pump or inadvertent openings of a vent valve. When this happens the small clearance of opening 532D will keep the air cushion from complete collapse. The bar 530D should be made sufiiciently strong for the above purpose as by cutting it from a /2 inch thick steel plate. Also to keep the bar from pivoting on its mount it can be fixed in place by more than one bolt. It can, for example, be in the shape of a T with both arms of the T secured by spaced bolts and the leg of the T extending through the aperture 532D. The position of the bar in the aperture also makes a suitable height indicator for the container. Furthermore it can be so co-related with the alignment of the flexible drive connection where one is used as at 82 in FIG. 1 that a misalignment will cause the rod 530D to hammer against the margin of aperture 532D when the work is being vibrated. This gives an audible warning of misalignment, and such a Warning is not easily ignored.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for subjecting work articles to vibratory finishing treatment, said apparatus having a supporting base, a framework journaled to said base, said supporting framework being mounted on resilient feet,

a work container, air cushions mounting said work container on said framework, a drive mechanism secured to said framework in a fixed position, a generally horizontally extending flexible drive coupling connecting said drive mechanism to said container for gyrating said container, an oversized aperture in said framework, a bar disposed in said oversized aperture, and means for reciprocating said bar in said aperture in accordance with the gyratory movement of said container and into contact with the edges of said aperture upon misalignment of said flexible drive coupling with said fixed drive means whereby said contact gives an audible indication of said misalignment.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein a projecting member is detachably secured to said framework, and said oversized aperture being in said projecting member.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the clearance between said bar and said oversized aperture is approximately /2 inch.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said air cushions are disposed below said container, said cushions being secured to and under a flat top table, and said container being detachably mounted on said table.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,275,846 3/ 1942 Dunham 24824 2,683,576 7/1954 Miller 248---24 2,770,434 11/ 1956 McNally 24822 2,973,606 3/1961 Brandt 51-163 2,993,585 7/1961 Musschoot 5l163 2,997,814 8/1961 Brandt 51163 FOREIGN PATENTS 659,889 3/1963 Canada.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING WORK ARTICLES TO VIBRATORY FINISHING TREATMENT, SAID APPARATUS HAVING A SUPPORTING BASE, FRAMEWORK JOURNALED TO SAID BASE, SAID SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK BEING MOUNTED ON RESILIENT FEET, A WORK CONTAINER, AIR CUSHIONS MOUNTING SAID WORK CONTAINER ON SAID FRAMEWORK, A DRIVE MECHANSIM SECURED TO SAID FRAMEWORK IN A FIXED POSITION, A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING FLEXIBLE DRIVE COUPLING CONNECTING SAID DRIVE MECHANISM TO SAID CONTAINER FOR GYRATING SAID CONTAINER, AN OVERSIZED APERTURE IN SAID FRAMEWORK, A BAR DISPOSED IN SAID OVERSIZED APERTURE, AND MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID BAR IN SAID APERTURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GYRATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTAINER AND INTO CONTACT WITH THE EDGES OF SAID APERTURE UPON MISALIGNMENT OF SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE COUPLING WITH SAID FIXED DRIVE MEANS WHEREBY SAID CONTACT GIVES AN AUDIBLE INDICATION OF SAID MISALIGNMENT. 